August 27 - During the last four seasons of Canada West play, the Manitoba Bison football program has undergone a major transformation, improving from a league worst 0-8 in 1998, to 5-3 in 1999, to the top of Canada West in 2000 with a 6-1-1 record. The Herd won the regular season title once again last season with a sterling 7-1 record, but the winning did not stop there. Brian Dobie's squad ripped through the Canada West play-offs, defeating the Calgary Dinos 31-10 in the Canada West semi-final, and the Regina Rams 23-17 in the Hardy Trophy final. The Bisons then faced the McMaster Marauders in the Churchill Bowl and their 27-6 win propelled the Herd to its first Vanier Cup appearance in 31 years, a contest the Black and Gold ultimately lost to a powerful Saint Mary's Huskie squad.

The Bisons breakthrough year also saw the team accumulate numerous individual awards including 11 All-Canadian selections, 15 conference All-Star selections, two CIS Player of the Week awards and 10 Canada West Player of the Week awards. In recognition of how far the program has come in the last three seasons, Head Coach Brian Dobie was named the Canada West Coach of the Year for the third straight season. At the Vanier Cup in Toronto he was named the CIS Football Coach of the Year, making him the first Bison coach to win the award since Henry Janzen in 1969.

With a solid nucleus of returning players and an influx of new talent, the Bisons are a legitimate threat to repeat as Canada West Champions and make their second straight Vanier Cup appearance.

Canada West All-Star quarterback Shane Munson returns for his fourth year of eligibility and will lead a mostly veteran offence that put up a whopping 302 points in eight games last season. Munson threw for 2037 yards last season, breaking Brett Watt's 8-year old Bison record for passing yardage in a season. Munson is poised to become the Bisons all-time passing leader this season and will start the year 1,761 yards behind Watts' mark of 6,817 career passing yards.

The men protecting Munson will also be looking to continue their dominance of 2001 when they allowed only 6 sacks against. Led by All-Canadian centre Chris Bochen, All Canadian guard Devin Rodger as well as newcomers 6'6" 350-LB Lorne Plante from Sisler and 6'6" 330-LB Tye Smith from the Tri-City Bulldogs, the O-Line should give Munson plenty of time to inflict damage on opposing defences. The most important addition to the offensive line may be Luke Acheson who missed the entire 2001 season due to injury. The 6'0" 295lb product of the Abbotsford Air Force is an extremely versatile athlete and will also bring leadership on and off the field this season.

The Hogs will also be opening holes for tailback A.J.Zeglen who will get most of the carries this season. Playing in the shadow of Ken Vermette for the last couple of years, Zeglen has proved invaluable in clutch situations and this season he will get the chance to showcase his talents more often. Last season Zeglen only carried the ball 18 times for 160 yards, but his 8.9 yards per carry average was tops among the Bisons who had seven or more carries. Zeglen showed his true worth in last year's Canada West semi-final against the Calgary Dinosaurs when he stepped up in a big way to replace starting back Ken Vermette, who was out with injury. Zeglen ran the ball 18 times for 96 yards that day and his slashing style and speed will give defences a different look than Vermette's style of running through people. When Zeglen needs a rest, he will have newcomer Darwin Thompson to spell him. Thompson is a solid 5'9" 195 lbs who had the fastest 40 time in training camp. The Winnipeg native looked good in the Herd's preseason tune-up this past weekend, rumbling for a long run and making several key blocks to spring Zeglen for a couple of nice gains.

Mike Faisthuber leads a talented corps of receivers that will give Munson ample opportunity to air it out this season. Faisthuber is currently first in all-time Bison receiving TDs with 15 and needs only 540 yards to surpass Terry Fach's mark of 2039 yards receiving in a career. Joining Faisthuber in the Bison receiving corps will be another fifth year wide-out Jake Blosser, fourth year slotback Andrew Sharp, along with the sure-handed Mike Kelly. Rookie speedster Jason Marsh will also be a player to watch, after ripping up the BCFC in his final year last season. The 5'10" 175lb wide-out was named a CJFL All-Canadian, a BCFC All-Star as well as the Rebels' MVP on offence. Marsh showed flashes of that form this past Saturday with a brilliant looking 67 yard punt return for a TD against the Winnipeg Senior Mustangs. Sharp meanwhile, was one of Shane Munson's favorite targets last season, hauling in 27 passes for 284 yards and 1 TD and he should play a key role in the Bisons offence once again this season, while Blosser got off to a red-hot start in 2001 before being felled by an injury that kept him out of six games.

The meanest, nastiest defence in the conference the last two seasons will have a few new faces this year after two players made CFL clubs and several others graduated.

Linebacker Joey Mikawoz returns for his fifth and final year after a successful stint in the Winnipeg Blue Bombers' training camp to anchor a defence that surrendered only 91 points last season or an average of 11.4 points per game. Mikawoz is the all-time Bisons leader in tackles with 196 which is more than 50 ahead of current Bomber Wade Miller. The "quarterback" of the defence also owns the single season record for tackles with 65, a mark he set two seasons ago when he won the President's Trophy as the nation's most outstanding defensive player. Joining him in the linebacking corps will be Scott Gilbert from the Victoria Bulldogs, who is considered to be one of the top linebacking recruits in the country. The 6'2" 230lb product of the Victoria Rebels was a BCFC All-Star honorable mention who recorded 71 tackles, and 1 interception last season and will fill the void left by Matt Rollason's departure to graduation. With Scott Coe's jump to the CFL, the Herd will be looking to Trever Sadler to fill a huge void at the third and final linebacker position. Sadler is an excellent athlete and extremely intelligent person who is entering his fourth year with the team most of which have been spent as an understudy to Coe as well as a leader on special teams. The 6'4" 215lb native Winnipeg native knows he has big shoes to fill but both he and the coaching staff feel he is more than ready for the challenge.

The secondary has also seen some changes and replacing the best corner in the country in Darnell Edwards ,who is now toiling for the Saskatchewan Roughriders, will not be easy, but according to secondary coach Rich Urbanovich, the secondary is stronger as a whole Jamie Boreham, a 2001 All-Canadian at two different positions, returns at safety after a stint in the Winnipeg Blue Bombers camp. He will play alongside native Winnipegger Wes Lysack who joins the Herd after spending two years in the NCAA with the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. Boreham will play safety with Lysack playing one of the halfback spots. The other half back spot will be patrolled by budding superstar David Hewson who had a breakout year in 2001 including two Canada West player of the week nominations after superlative efforts versus the Calgary Dinosaurs in week eight and the regina Rams in the Hardy Trophy final. On the corners, fifth year veteran Mike Chalifoux, perhaps one of the most underrated players on the whole squad will fill one position while the other corner spot looks to be Ife Okwumabua's to lose.

The defensive line may be the scariest part of the Bison defence boasting three All-Canadians from last season including Israel Idonije, Warren Doepker and Rob Stewart. Last season, these three combined for 12 sacks and 53 tackles and in camp this year they have completely dominated in nearly every drill. Idonije, who stands 6'6" and weighs in at 270lbs was second in Canada West in sacks last season with 6 and was also named Canada West player of the Week twice and CIS Player of the Week once. The native of Brandon, MB, who enters his draft year this season, has already had interest from the NFL and will without a doubt be a high CFL pick come next spring if he continues his stellar play in 2002. Stewart attended the Toronto Argonauts camp after being taken in the fourth round this past spring despite missing half the season with a nagging ankle injury. In the past two seasons, Stewart has compiled nearly a sack per game average, and with a healthy year in 2002, expect more of the same from him. Warren Doepker is perhaps the least talked about Bison defender, but certainly one of the most effective. The 6'4" 245lb defensive end chalked up 2 sacks and 30 tackles of his own last season and will be a force on the line once again this year.

On special teams Jamie Boreham will once again handle the kicking and punting duties as well as return punts this season and will be looking to surpass his team record and CIS leading total of 114 points from a year ago.